Darker Than The Deepest Sea: The Search for Nick Drake

Good read

There seems to be quite a Nick Drake following. To be honest, I did not know of him until "discovering" him in a recent article in "Acoustic Guitar Player". Having grown up in the 60's and being a guitar player myself, I was puzzled by never having heard of Nick. First, I listened to some of his music on line. Wow. The subtleties are amazing. His tunnings, timing, lyrics, all catch you. I wanted to learn more about, this gifted musician I knew nothing about. The way this book is written, it made me wonder if it was written as a college thesis ? That being said, it was an easy, fun read. It was neat to see the pictures of Nick, family, and life. I bought a used copy from Amazon, which was in new condition. Here I am at my age having played guitar since Nick's era, sharing this book with my guitar teacher, who wants to give it read. Considering the time frame Nick was alive, there are interesting bits about other musicians from that era, that were early in their careers that Nick crossed paths with in various ways. I would recommend this book.

Bei "Darker Than the Deepest Sea" handelt es sich um eine Biografie über den Songwriter Nick Drake, der 1974 im Alter von 26 Jahren an einer Überdosis Amitriptylin (ein ihm verschriebenes Medikament zur Behandlung von Depressionen) starb. Der Autor des Buches, Trevor Dann, hat viele Jahre für BBC Radio gearbeitet und man merkt dem Buch sein persönliches Engagement und seine Arbeit, die er in dieses Buch gesteck hat, an. Dies ist gleichzeitig die problematische Seite des Buches, da der Autor auch sehr viele persönliche Interpretationen in seine Texte einfließen lässt und Vermutungen äußert, die nicht immer faktisch belegbar sind. Trotz der aufwändigen Biografie (die hervorragend geschrieben und sehr gut lesbar ist) inklusive Diskografie und einiger seltener Fotos muss man für die Anzüglichkeiten und Interpretationen des Autors (die wohl der besseren Verkaufbarkeit des Buches geschuldet sind) einen Stern abziehen.

I’ve been a diehard fan of Nick Drake for some time now, and I bought this book to be my first real plunge into his life’s story. What I got - and what you’ll get - is a smartly written, satisfyingly thorough, and lovingly crafted look into Drake’s upbringing, his adult life, his struggles, his achievements, and the aspects that made him a tragic hero of the folk world. A wonderful read start to finish!

I have read more than one Nick Drake biography but I reckon this one is my favourite. I first became aware of Nick Drake by the track 'One of These Things First' from a 1971 sampler LP (called El Pea). 1971. Things were never rosy for Drake but around 1971 was a time when things could have gone one way or the other for him - a pinkier rose or a much darker blue. Sadly, the route taken (I did not say selected - more chosen for him by the unseen, less than benevolent, force that rested upon his shoulders) was the latter. Having been familiar with his short (just 26 years) story, I found myself, due to the deeply passionate style of writer, Trevor Dann, living alongside Nick Drake, willing him to do things differently this time ... please ... Instead, I was glued to the pages, one after the other, luring me, once again, to his demise. Ah well ...